Fine Art vs Graphic Design

For our class with Professor Jiesemfoek, we started the semester asking each other "What is art?" It seemed to me to be a starting point to open our eyes to the vast perceptions that attempt to define art, including the parts of European history that reveals the cultural construct of the concept not found in every culture. Still, a few times opinions of what constitutes art has come up in classes at Brooklyn College.

I got my BFA in graphic design from the School of Visual Arts (SVA). Whether or not people believed it was true, there was the underlying ambiguous battle between fine art and commercial art, with the argument that fine art is useless bullshit (from the designer point of view) and the commercial arts are not art (from the fine artist point of view). In fact, one classmate in my MA program for Art Ed. at Bklyn College even said, "Graphic design is not art." Although I understand that commercial/design art consists of many mediums such as interior design, textile design, film, photography, computer art, etc. I will focused on graphic design for the argument of commercial art in this post.

Recently a friend of mine from SVA came to my apartment and I was happy to show her the work of Luba Lukova, which I didn't know prior to the NAEA conference. My friend knew her because she taught a few classes at SVA, where we graduated from. My friend pointed out a quote from an article on Luba Lukova titled "Railing Against 'The Emptiness of Fine Art', Luba Lukova Fights to give Graphic Design its Due" - http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=3782

"I'm not personally inspired by contemporary fine art," she says. "To me, it has become something for spoiled people, very existential, for people who are in love with themselves. They don't think about the audience, just making something provocative for the sake of being provocative, but without saying something that means something to more people. To me, that's an empty shell, even more empty than the most superficial design. Design is something that people see every day, so why not use that?" Lukova asks in the end. "Replace the emptiness of fine art with meaning, which can be so easily in contact with the audience, using the form of the design."

I was very surprised to read this. It must have offended some people. There are lots of fine artists that are really inspiring for me and I love the work of many fine artists. However, I found her comments amusing because there some truth in what she says. One of the reasons I've loved the recent visual culture classes on outsider art and craft art is because it exists aside the art world and it's just as amazing as much of the celebrated art that we get to know when we are formally trained in institutions. In the art world it seems as though its about who you know, how much cultural capital you have, what school you went to and all of this goes back to class and your background. Rarely does an artist come from a less than privileged background. It does happen, but it's rare.

I can't say I'm passionate about arguing that graphic design is art, especially since I'm far from practicing and left that field a long time ago. I can see the point of view where graphic design is just a marketing tactic with advertising psychology behind it. It's one reason why I could not stay in that field. However, in general I think that lots of graphic design is beautiful artwork. There is such a gradient of what can be considered art that most of it, in my opinion is in the grey area. I've seen fine art in Soho that consisted of a white piece of paper with a staple in it and I've seen graphic design on PowerPoint by someone who has no interest or insight into art. It's all relative and at some points we all agree.

I think that as an art teacher, we should not disillusion aspiring fine artists, but we should not discourage them either. I think it's important to see both sides of the fine art vs. commercial/design art argument as a visual art teacher. I think teaching digital arts and preparing kids for careers is just as important as offering them experiences in the material that foster habits of mind, [therapeutic] self expression and all that traditional art materials/mediums have to offer.

I think that many people are not aware of the great work that has been created in the field of graphic design. Below are just a few examples:

David Carson - Editorial Designer

Paula Sher (illustrator turned graphic designer), Tibor Kalam and

Milton Glaser (illustrator and designer, winner of National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama)

Random Graphic Design Posters focusing on Typography

Barbara Kruger - Editorial Designer Turned Fine Artist

(poster on right - "Money can buy you love")

Undoing Whiteness in the Classroom - Reflection on Reading

Before I comment on the actual reading, I have to say that I enjoyed finding the book on Amazon.com and seeing the two existing reviews. One is a rant about how racist the book is and, therefore, the reviewer will never read it. The other review is an appreciation of the book, "An excellent text for white people searching for an antiracist identity." The dichotomy is interesting and implies that the book touches on some deep issues, possibly in new ways or with a fresh perspective.

I'm all for "undoing whiteness in the classroom", but I think that it's often easier said than done. More practical ideas are needed in this discourse. Regardless, I agree that there is a need to address this issue; as individual teachers and as a field. It's a factor within the education issues intertwined with education reform and inequality. My reflection will address quotes from the handout given in class.

When the book explains the public discourse in America, it includes these quotes "Everyone has the same start in life, with 13 years of free education... It's up to you to seize the opportunities that this country affords you"

This past Wednesday, Professor Jiesemfoek brought us to listen to the author of Teaching by Numbers, Brooklyn College Professor Peter Taubman. In his book, Professor Taubman addresses the negative results of trends in data and assessment. In his speech he included clear explanations describing the educational inequalities that exist in America. He compared Harvard University to CUNY Brooklyn College (particularly around the issues of resources) and the comparison between private schools in Manhattan compared to public schools in Manhattan. Just looking at those differences, we can see that equal educational opportunities do not exist.

I can even think back to my own teaching experiences. I taught in East New York, Brookyn, a Black and Hispanic low-income community. The kindergartners came into the school with knowledge of MLK, but not the alphabet. Their intelligence was not lower, but they exhibited real evidence that they were starting school at a different level than most middle class students whose environment provides preparation that aligns with school achievement. The way this plays out later in life can be an entire PhD dissertation... maybe even multiple dissertations!

"Often individuals are unable to see the connections between racial, class and gender discrimination and economic power because our ideology on social equality creates a climate of denial around documented inequities."

Recently at work we wrote grant proposals for Magnet schools to get funding. Magnet schools are the government's attempt at desegregation. (who knew?) They are specialized, thematic schools that are given extra funding and autonomy so that they can offer higher quality education and attract a more diverse population. It doesn't always work, but they have shown promising results. Magnet schools get about 1/4 or 1/3 of the funding of charter schools. They both have similar tactics for addressing the quality of education, but with two main differences. Charter schools are assisted with private funding, often from large corporations, and charter schools are known to enable segregation. People leading the charter school movement argue that separate can be equal and do not address the issue of segregation. Obama is a big supporter of the charter school movement, so this is not going to change anytime soon.

Many people have heard multiple times that our schools are more segregated today than they have been since before the civil rights movement. There is even a group of researchers at UCLA that publish studies within "The Civil Rights Project" aiming to fight segregation and promote desegregation - http://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/. If I remember right, they (Director, Gary Orfield) were the ones to publish the findings of the current state of segregation in American schools. According to their numerous research studies, segregation does not lead to equality. Integration (racial and socioeconomic) is necessary for addressing the achievement gap. In fact, they say that White people are the most segregated group and White people who have gone to integrated schools are often advocates for desegregation and diversity. Desegregation studies show that all participants benefit from integration. Richard Kahlenberg (http://www.equaleducation.org/press.asp?staff=14), who often has his name attached to Harvard University, is another researcher working towards proving the benefits of desegregation and finds similar results. These prominent researchers have repeatedly published the benefits of desegregation. Meanwhile, there is little, or no research evidence supporting the concept that separate can be equal.

"Communication today between the privileged and economically stressed communities could not be more absent because their worldviews often derive from radically different assumptions and experiences."

When I researched desegregation at work, socioeconomic status came up a lot. It is now recognized that socioeconomic diversity is as strong, or more likely a stronger factor, regarding issues of segregation in schools. They even say that the average socio-economic status of the school is a large factor in determining success, regardless of the background of students. George Bush somehow got ahold of this point of view and outlawed decision making based on race, so that it could be replaced by socio-economic status. Why we have to have one over the other and what that's all about, I don't understand, but that's a whole other issue.

I think that class is stronger than race, although it's obviously intertwined. I just think that if someone grows up poor in America, they will have a very difficult time succeeding in achieving a comfortable socio-economic level, regardless of race. Race will hold you back even more, but it's the poverty level, that is the real detriment (along with a lack of cultural capital and lack of legacy). Unfortunately, especially in urban areas, this usually refers to people who are Black or Hispanic. I haven't studied this, so I can only speak my opinion and my personal experience.

I grew up in a working/middle class environment. My parents were educated and my father had a good job, so at home things were a little different. However, some of the people I grew up around did not value education and were skeptical of the government. My family was skeptical, but did value education. Still, we did not have a ton of money. I never thought I'd be able to go to a private college, but my grandmother helped me out. My high school friend called me a JAP (Jewish American Princess) when I went to the School of Visual Arts (SVA). She went to College of Staten Island on loans, but she did fine, especially after her cousin got her a job as an assistant casting director for commercials before she graduated college. I had another friend who also had connections to get him a job at Prudential in downtown Manhattan, so he didn't finish college... at least not on time. These were my friends from honors classes (I wish I had their connections!). My close friend who was on a lower track ended up with kids in her early 20s, not going to college and becoming a legal secretary. They all seem very happy today.

Anyway, when I went to SVA, I met people whose parents had a lot of money, whose parents were artists, who came out of high quality high schools with good art programs... I met many people and most of them had some kind of significant arts support behind them. Most of them were on a clear path to their career that they chose; something I cannot say for every 20 year old. It was a bit of culture shock for me. I spent my free time in high school hanging out with friends in parks, cemeteries and parking lots talking and drinking. I didn't do any art. I doodled/drew when I was alone and took lots of pictures, but art was not something serious. At SVA I learned a lot about class and privilege because I was always analyzing people's backgrounds and how they got to where they were. I also read about social issues in my spare time (loved belle hooks!).

I was being exposed to people who were more privileged and even though I never really struggled financially, there was a difference. At times it could have been the way our parents raised us more so than class, but class was definitely a factor. Most of the kids at SVA were white. There was some diversity, but it did not mirror the NYC population. Still, within SVA, I don't think that race determined success. However, as I mentioned before, it's definitely a factor that should not be ignored. Out of four black guys I hung out with, 3 are very successful. Out of the three of them the one from an inner city neighborhood had a tough time, where the other 2 guys from suburban areas did not, even though all three of them came into SVA with solid arts backgrounds.

I thought SVA was going to be filled with a bunch of kids taking risks to be artists and following an unsupported passion. However, most of the people I met had insight into different ways of life than I knew growing up and that I know many of the people I knew on Staten Island did not know about this either. If I knew how to prepare for SVA, how to research the field, how to network and what to expect, I might be someplace else right now. I might have known at the time that graphic design often lead to office and business jobs rather than very artsy jobs. This is not always about socio-economic status, but it often is. Class differences are often about lack of access to knowledge and experiences.

Now take my experience and imagine that there is a person who is coming from poverty, who has not been educated in a way that is relative to mainstream education in America and compare that to someone who is of such a privilege that they never struggled and easily continued on their life path that led them to an ivy league education. Many people in America believe that it's talent and hard work that lead people to such success, which is often true, but if someone was to investigate the socio-economic status of the people who go to ivy league schools, small private liberal arts colleges, or other high profile private schools, I'm sure that we would find a vast majority of privileged students coming from relatively high socio-economic backgrounds. I'm sure that if we looked at the resumes of the people in highly regarded positions we would see that they match these schools. This is true for people of various/all races. However, as I said before, race is not something to be ignored. It's very complicated, race is still an issue in America and the remnants of past racial issues are still affecting the people of our country. White people still have the power and sensitivity to other cultures is beneficial for all.

Here are a few interesting links that relate:

Gentrification and Schools in Williamsburg Brooklyn - http://www.nysun.com/new-york/unexpected-obstacle-in-plan-for-brooklyn-school/70595/

Climbing the Socio-Economic Ladder - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/social-immobility-climbin_n_501788.html

Generation X Parents - http://www.edutopia.org/generation-x-parents-relationships-guide

SOUJOURN/DINNER PARTY - MUSEUM OBSERVATION*

I feel so fortunate to have such a great permanent feminist art exhibition so close to where I live, at the Brookyn Museum. When I first saw the Dinner Party installation I was excited to see what it looks like outside of photos published in books. It's existence is as much of an accomplishment as the celebration of accomplishments that it communicates. Judy Chicago put together a dinner party in the shape of a triangle, symbolizing the female sex, and each place setting is for a women who significantly influenced the history of the world. The place settings are created so intricately, each one of a kind plate is upon a uniquely stitched placemat and tablecloth. The stitching includes designs as well as the name of a woman. Each setting has the same uniquely designed flatware and wine glass. She is not only celebrating these women but she is celebrating art forms that have been traditionally created by women and traditionally undervalued. The place settings invite women from history as far back as the prehistoric Primordial Goddess, and span a long time line including Artemesia Gentileski and more contemporary women such as Sojourner Truth, who's place setting is shown above (far right) and Georgia O'Keefe.

Kiki Smith's temporary installation is adjacent to the Dinner Party. She asks viewers to walk through the Dinner Party after the first part of her show. Juxtaposing her installation with the Dinner Party insinuates an intention to illustrate what is behind the scenes of feminist art, adding to the content of her show. In this installation, Kiki Smith illustrates the development of a woman artist throughout the timeline of life. Her show includes drawings on Nepal paper that include pieces of collage that bring in other colors, textures and even glitter, but sparingly. Themes from past work reappear as main subjects, such as the crow and the figure.

When you first walk into the show you are introduced to these drawings and a figure is seated in the middle of the space. The seated figure seemed to be made of aluminum or some type of metal and had a disproportionately large head. All of the sculptures in this series had disproportionately large heads. As you walk through the first three rooms, the drawings on the wall are the most prominent visuals, enhanced by various sculptural pieces. The first room has a sculpture that is made up of silver pieces of wood, metal ornaments and a crow (below). It reminds me of a bird in a nest, although the wood does not create the traditional shape of a nest. As you walk through the rooms, sculptures include a [paper mache?] chair covered with floral paper garland and paper mache light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The light bulbs have some glitter on them and mimicking the design of the silver pieces of wood, toothpicks hang from each. There also other metal figures, such as the one in the photo below.

Towards the end of the first part of the show, there are wooden coffins with glass long stem flowers inside. Finally her sculptures extend to the permanent exhibition of 18th century rooms. She places paper mache figures in these rooms and one on the stairs outside. She did this to connect the work to her original inspiration. She was inspired by a sewn image from the 18th century. The picture depicts a woman with a slave tending to a baby, a woman of middle age and a coffin on the other side of her; illustrating different stages of life. The sculptures in the 18th century rooms are intended to question women's roles of those times.

The entire show is intended to illustrate the development through life as a woman and as an artist. Kiki Smith is known for creating feminist installation art and the content aligns with her overarching theme. I enjoy Kiki Smith and envy her experience of growing up with a father who was a well-known sculptor. She had a very early start in developing her skills and craft. Her work is always somewhat ambiguous and rarely narrative, yet the female presence is often obvious. I really like feminist art, so a successful feminist artist is appealing to me. I think her form is the most successful part of her work.

Brooklyn Museum - CHILD OBSERVATION**

I was reminded of my trip to the Museum of Natural History when I walked into the Brooklyn Museum and saw groups of children with their teachers. Again, the younger the children are, the more closely the teachers seemed to watch them. Also like my trip to the Museum of Natural History, the shows I wanted to see the most were the ones that had no children in them. I wondered where the children went and I found teens in the African art section. Most of the 10 or so students were sitting back to back sketching what they saw. They were talking, enjoying themselves and voicing their opinions; "That one is ugly... I like that one." They were all Black students, so it was interesting to see them in the midst of art of the same African decent.

As I looked through the art that was displayed I saw masks from 19th century Congo. I could not avoid thinking about the reading from class, Kongo to Congo and .... I just imagined that these masks and wooden sculptures were probably taken from the land, possibly without permission. I wondered about the other pieces that came from different time periods and/or different parts of Africa. How did the pieces get from Africa to the Brooklyn museum? What did the students I observed think about the context of these sculptures and masks? What kind of insight do they have and are they interested?

Since the whole group was Black it made me think of the group of pre-school students I saw on the train in the morning. The preschool in my neighborhood was going on a trip. All of the students were white except for one Asian. Although they were in preschool, they felt older as if they had more awareness of their surroundings and life in general. The preschool by my apartment is called the Williamsburg Northside Preschool and it costs from $1,050 a month (2 days a week) to $2,100 a month (5 days per week), making it only available to certain New Yorkers. They have a teaching approach based on the Reggio Emilia model, offering students a very high level/high quality start to their education.

So, in Williamsburg I observed a primarily White group, at the Brooklyn Museum I observed an all Black group, on the subway ride back from the Brooklyn Museum I saw a primarily Hispanic group of children and while I was at the Museum of Natural History I saw a group of girl students with Burkas. It's interesting to see this in a time when we hear about the segregation in schools across the country.

Hitler's Art - Auctioned

On April 16th, Hitler's drawings were auctioned. I remember the first time I heard about Hitler's artwork. Around 2000, when Rudy Giuliani was still mayor of NYC, there was a controversy over the show titled "Sensation" at the Brooklyn Museum. The controversy was centered around a religious painting on display because part of the painting was made with human feces. Giuliani supported and participated in negative commentary about that show. He also had it closed down. I was attending the School of Visual Arts at the time and one of my professors showed us a video that compared Guiliani with Hitler. Hitler prevented artists from doing their work and expressing themselves during the time of the Nazi's. I also learned that Hitler was not accepted into art school. His experience of not being accepted is often contemplated as a factor that was potentially connected to his actions during WWII. Recent articles say that his professor was Jewish and I've also heard that his grandfather, who was unsupportive of his art, was also Jewish.

Now, in 2010, his art is being auctioned. Newspaper articles describe his work as mediocre, the reason for not being accepted to art school after applying twice, and that his work would be considered moderate today. Today he probably would be accepted into art school, possibly based on his potential to improve. It reminds me of a recent class discussion that touched upon the importance of who the artist is in relation to the artist's work and the artist's success. The auction sold Hitler's work for approximately six times the expected value. Collectors may have been interested in adding to their collection of WWII collectibles or might just have wanted to own the work of someone famous. I'm not surprised that his work sold and when I read who the buyers were, it makes sense. Still, I don't feel I missed out on anything and I, personally, would not want art created by Hitler.

Articles

Sensation Closed Down

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/10/nyregion/sensation-closes-as-it-opened-to-cheers-and-criticism.html?pagewanted=1.

The Auction Announced

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7511134/Hitler-sketches-that-failed-to-secure-his-place-at-art-academy-to-be-auctioned.html

After The Auction

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/23/hitler.auction/index.html

NAEA Conference

I was so excited to go to the NAEA conference that I planned a four and half day trip, allowing myself time to leisurely attend the entire conference. I ended up attending 3 to 5 full workshops a day plus a few that I only attended for part of the time. It was interesting to gain insight into current research, art teacher best practices and the differences and similarities within field of art education across the country.

Getting to know some of my classmates and professors a little better was fun, including being able to see our professors in a different context and to see them present their accomplishments. Senior teachers who presented their successes were inspiring; particularly Adrienne Hunter who spoke about her successes in special needs contexts. The number of workshops on new/digital media surprised me. I understand that teachers are interested in gaining digital skills and it’s relevant to our time, but there seemed to be very few workshops focusing on traditional media such as painting and sculpture. There were, however, multiple workshops on photography, Manga and digital technology. I was happy to learn about simple ways to create stop-motion animation and clay-mation videos.

The thread of social justice was interesting, including the art that was highlighted, such as Luba Lukova’s graphic design posters and the work of Mexican printmakers who voiced opinions of social issues through their work. Current trends in education leaning towards social justice and digital media arts engage me. I think it's important for teachers to raise awareness in students about current global issues that the majority of the world is trying to address, such as poverty, racism, classism and environmental issues[1]. Traditional media is important, such as painting and sculpture, but so are more contemporary mediums of visual communication and expression. Due to visual literacy, digital media/commercial arts and the deep communal connection naturally embedded in the arts, I believe that visual art class is a great platform for addressing social issues and incorporating technology. There are plenty of artists in the world who provide art teachers with great examples/resources. I look forward to fine tuning my craft to incorporate all of these things into a curriculum in a successful way.

Overall, it was a good experience and I look forward to going to the conference again after a few years have past. I would like to go as a teacher, when I have a more specific focus on the information I’d like to gather, and benefit from a deeper exchange and networking experience.
[1] I really enjoyed one environmental issues workshop that discussed environmental/outsider art that is created to assist people in poverty, such as architectural structures for shelter and bamboo bicycles for transportation.

AMERICAN VISIONARY MUSEUM - MUSEUM OBSERVATION*

"Visionary art as defined for the purposes of the American Visionary Art Museum refers to art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself." (American Visionary Museum, 2010)

When you visit the MoMA, or even galleries in Chelsea, there is an underlying connotation that the artists who are exhibiting are superior to other artists. Although this perception is being challenged among some people, it still exists. Much of the time there is good reason for it, such as the current Tim Burton show. He is so prolific, talented and widely respected, possibly nobody can compete.

On another side of the spectrum, there is the outsider art that we discussed in class. Art made by people with no formal training, just passion, interest and time. I went home after class and watched Calvin Black's Possom Trot again, showing my husband. I loved it because it exhibits raw creativity, not conforming to the realm of academia or the art world.

In Baltimore, there is the American Visionary Museum (http://www.avam.org/), a museum dedicated to outsider art. I visited it twice because it was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. I had to go back for a second look to make sure I could see a few things I missed the first time. It was great to see artwork that is so unpretentious. It communicates to anyone and everyone, not just a small portion of the population who are well versed in the arts and/or have read the appropriate writings. It's also lots of fun and easily accessible to children. I don't think children would need to be persuaded, or guided through how to appreciate this genre of art as much as a lot of "high art". For me, it inspires a rebelion against critique and just invites viewers to revel in the enjoyment of creation.

There were a few things in the museum that caught my eye, particularly the large sculptures, such as a large ball of bras. It was like a rubber band ball that some people make, layering rubber bands until it gets bigger and bigger, only it was bras. It was funny. There were also these robots made of metal, possibly found objects, that were moving. They were so fun to look at; almost like giant children's toys. There were also wooden sculptures that you could move by pressing a button. There were objects outside, such as a giant egg covered in mirror mosaic and an architectural structure, made of logs of various shapes and sizes, that you could walk into.

The second floor of the main building was curated with the theme of social justice, coinciding with the NAEA conference. There were works from artists in prison, such as an Al Qaeda prisoner who created drawings of flowers. His drawings almost looked like they were derived from stencils and was interesting to see; as if it should be unexpected and we should expect something violent. There was also a series of work created by a man who was schizophrenic. During his life he was in and out of institutions and looked at as nothing more than a crazy person. After he died a relative cleaned out his apartment and found that he was a prolific artist who depicted various social issues including racism. There were many works on this floor relating to the experience of being African-American.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

When I was doing my BFA at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) I took an art history course called "Women in Film". In the class we watched movies made by women and critiqued movies from a woman's point of view. I was introduced to the movie "Romance" and she told us that it was only playing in a small theater in the West Village and it would never get rated in the US, therefore, it would never become a well-known movie in the United States. According to IMDB it was actually banned in the United States (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194314/). She explained to us that American Pie is fine because it's from a male point of view, but if a female version of American Pie was ever made, it would never get funded because it would never get rated. Although there is a lot of sexual content, Romance shows the female perspective, unlike other movies which are always showing sex and sexuality from a man's point of view. We briefly learned about the rating system. We learned how ambiguous it is and that it's sexist. I put This Film is Not Yet Rated in my Netflix Queue a while ago because it reminded me of this class.

I watched this documentary about a director hiring an investigator to find out who actually rates American films and how the rating system works. They were able to find out who some of the raters were and the guy who runs the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA - http://www.mpaa.org/), Jack Valenti. Jack Valenti worked in the White House before working in the movie industry. He is connected with leaders of the few major media corporations. These leaders are a part of an appeal board, as the final say when movie makers appeal their ratings.

Ratings are a big deal in the movie industry because if you don't get rated, you can't get funding. The rating system seems to ignore levels of violence, but censors sex. I found it strange that the movie somehow appeared to advocate more sex in movies. I tried to look past that at other criticisms, such as the discrimination against movies depicting gay sex. It can be the same as straight sex scenes, but if the scenes are gay, they wont get rated.

One director commented on the making of war movies and explained that war movies need to be watched by representatives from the military to make sure that they show America in a good light. At one point the movie said that the rating system has gotten worse over the past 20 years, which would explain movies like Platoon and Casualties of War. Still, he brought up a good point. He thinks that having the media always depict the military as being benevolent ahs made the American people more pro-war and warlike. I'm not sure this is true, but it's interesting.

At some points the interviews with directors/movie makers seemed to be them trying to justify why their movies should have been made instead of critiquing the rating system. The most successful part of the critique, I think, was definitely the ambiguous connection to the six corporations that not only own all major media companies, but they are involved in the rating system.

POST NO BULL - GALLERY OBSERVATION*

I went to see the show of that my former professor put together in the lobby of the School of Visual Arts (SVA), my alma mater. She used her current students and also reached out to previous students to ask them to design posters. The installation was based on advertising posters pasted in public space throughout the city, such as on a wall of a building under construction. Instead, the posters are anti-advertisements, advocating for social change. She is the professor for Graphic Design for Social Change at the SVA, a course she created.

Graphic Design for Social Change was one of my favorite classes at SVA. During my BFA, I was always admiring graphic design that was socially aware, such as the work of Tibor Kalman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibor_Kalman) in Colors magazine or Barbara Kruger (http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/feminism/kruger/kruger.htm). I always wished I could do work like them even though I knew that I do not have that kind of talent. I was really looking forward to seeing this show.

There were a few pieces of work in the show that exhibited talent in illustration and a few pieces of graphic design that were inspiring. There were logos redesigned to be anti-ads instead of advertising (above right). This idea is not innovative and I was surprised how big they stuck out and how much they were on display. In the entrance there were two canvases displayed that I liked. One with a B and one with an E and below the E, in small lettering, it say "be open". I liked the corner of the exhibit, shown below.

She made a facebook post to recruit people to make posters. Although I'm sure she doesn't remember me after these 10 years have passed, she somehow friended me on facebook a few months before posting this, so I emailed her and she welcomed me to participate. The assignment was to do a poster for an issue you are passionate about and she gave a list of suggestions. I have always enjoyed reading about social issues, so getting ideas was easy for me. I decided to look into women's issues. I came across mass amounts of research trying to investigate women's trafficking, which brought back memories of rumors, facts and images I saw from living and traveling in Asia. I sent her a poster and she said she would definitely use it (below left) and she wanted me to do at least one more. I worked on a few posters and sent them to her, but they didn't really fit what she wanted. She wanted me to revise them, including the original. I think they were too editorial. I got caught up in all the information I found and was more interested in communicating that information than making a poster to communicate a message to the viewer quickly, as poster design is meant to do.

I couldn't revise them again because the semester started and I also had minor stomach surgery during the semester that interrupted schoolwork that needed to be done at home. At least she gave me credit for participation.

I think that this was the first time she did a group show in the lobby. She said that she'll never know when she'd get the opportunity to do this again. I wonder if the opportunity arose because of the increased awareness of the need for change to address global issues. I think that more and more people are becoming aware of global issues that need be addressed, such as global warming, food production, and the not-so-new desire to end war.

THE ARTIST IS PRESENT - MUSEUM OBSERVATION*

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present is the first performance art show held at the Museum of Modern Art and it is going on now, until May 31st. After studying various art forms for years, I feel that I can usually understand what I see, even if I have to read the artist statement. She uses naked bodies, her own body, interactive performance and re-enacting previous performances. This I get and I appreciate her innovation. I was surprised to hear she has been doing her work since the 1950's. She is also known for pushing boundaries and peoples' comfort zones. I had to walk around a few times and I still did not get the appeal of her content. Perhaps because it challenged my comfort zone, rather than giving me an enjoyable experience.

There were naked women in the show. One was attached to the middle of a wall, half way to the ceiling. There were two in doorways where you could choose to walk through them. There were people with clothes on. Two were facing each other, pointing, almost, but not touching pointer fingers. On the other side of the wall behind them, there were two people, also with clothes on, sitting back to back with their hair tied together. This all seemed to be communicating something about human relationships and, possibly, sexuality.

There was a room where there was a woman massaging her breasts on video along with a few other video screens that I did not fully understand. This was behind a wall that displayed Abromavic with a pile of animal bones, some depictions of them are clean and some are bloody. There was photography and video throughout the exhibition.

After I walked through it, without being moved by much and not understanding much, I went to read a book about her work to gain more insight. What stood out for me is that the Balkans have a very different view of sexuality than most cultures and that is where she is from. "For example, if it rained too much, the women of the village would run into the field and lift their skirts in an attempt to scare gods and end the rain" as it says in the description to a previous show - http://www.likeyou.com/en/node/2923. I keep thinking I remember it wrong, but that book I read at the MoMA said that if an animal was sick a man would rub his penis and then rub the animal for good luck... or something like that. Are these traditions the inspiration for pushing people's comfort zones in regards to sexuality?

I guess she was a pioneer of shock art, since she's been doing this since the 1950's. I guess her work challenges peoples' notions of sexuality. I guess it's just not my favorite art, but I can definitely respect all her accomplishments.

The one part of her show that was separate from the rest, her latest work, The Artist is Present. The other live people are representing her past work, in which she was the live person in the performance (sometimes her husband). For this new piece, she sits in an open space in the MoMA in a chair facing an empty chair at a table. There is not much else there for visual stimulation. Her dress is simple and the table and chairs are plain wood. The space around her is closed off, but people are allowed to sit opposite her in the empty chair and interact with her. She sits quietly and stares and everyone who goes to sit opposite her mirrors her tableau. It's interesting to see the artist actually present and interacting with their audience regardless of how it's done. I guess she is a living still life that can be interacted with by individual viewers.

I guess I can say that her work is interesting.

Why should the arts increase student achievement?

There has been so much writing published about education and recently there is so much being published on the crisis in education. There are numerous vantage points and a lot of sub topics. For this blog entry, I'm going to focus on the buzz around academic achievement and how it affects arts education.

According to Rupert (2006), the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is driving the data craze. Since Bush enforced NCLB, accountability is a new buzz word and data, another new buzz word, must justify what educators are being held accountable for. This is a very scientific way of thinking and scientifically-based research is expected to be the driving force of education reform. I work in education evaluation research and our company never did as well as during the Bush years. Politicians say that the United States will not leave any children behind. We must work harder to improve student achievement so that they will be prepared to compete in the global economy. People in other countries are developing their skills and competing for our jobs. Even worse, other countries will compete with America to be the most powerful, and richest, country in the world.

Teachers are being criticized like no other professionals and student achievement is discussed as though the fall of the United States is dependent upon its outcome. Assessments are test based and quantitative. People are criticizing the movement towards testing and the push for student achievement. Much of it is unclear. Have education programs been compared across countries? What factors are included in standardized test results for each country? What are the differences in preparation for these tests across countries? How sure are we that tests tell us so much? How much have we questioned and dissected empirical research in education? Nobody questions using scientific research, developed by psychologists who wanted to make their field more scientific, for something that's questionably science.

How does this affect arts education? The No Child Left Behind Act recognizes the importance of the arts by naming them a core subject. However, there is not enough time or money to provide children with visual arts, music, theater and dance instruction. There are already 4 other core subjects (ELA, math, science and social studies) that will remain intact, as well as other subjects such as foreign language and physical education. Many schools, districts and states cannot adhere to the arts requirements and they often seem as though they do not exist. However there are still pockets of successful public school arts programs, such as CAPE in Chicago - http://www.capeweb.org/

Arts education is feeling the pressure of accountability. School administrators must justify their programs as they are held accountable for students' academic achievement. With the lack of money invested in schools, and the current financial crisis, allocating money for the arts can be a risky decision. NCLB has inspired numerous research studies that "scientifically" prove that the arts offer intangible benefits such as self-esteem, engagement, etc. We can even say that the arts enhance 21st Century Skills such as problem-solving skills, persistence, and creativity. Yet, there is no scientific evidence that it directly enhances academic achievement. Researchers are still trying. However, more and more, support is shifting to arts-integration. If the arts are infused into other content areas then students can have the benefit of the arts, while still focusing on academic achievement. The arts can indirectly enhance academic achievement and arts-integration seems like a great way to do this. Teaching artists and arts organizations are being hired to temporarily go into public schools to offer coaching that will transfer their arts skills to classroom teachers and arts instruction to public school children. Some administrators say that quality arts teachers are hard to find, and teaching artists can offer more art forms (they can hire more than 1). Will arts integration take the place of arts classes taught by art teachers? I'm not sure what this will mean for arts teachers. Hopefully when the economy gets better, arts teachers will benefit. For now, it seems as though the arts are still being eliminated due to budget cuts.

Currently the NYC DOE is trying to mandate that all children have access to all art forms. They must first figure out what arts are in all of the schools throughout NYC, which is not an easy task for them. They are currently attempting to measure the quality of the arts with a survey that investigates quantity. A qualitative investigation is just too much money. Can they really measure quantity and quality in the same way? With the same survey? Surprisingly, they, people with arts education backgrounds, seem to think so. Is it just that they are pressured for time and money? I don't know. It seems as though it all comes down to time and money.

Rupert. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.keepartsinschools.org/Research/Materials/CriticalEvidence.pdf